Olympics

Does a video on social media show Moroccan football players at the Paris Olympics doing throat-slitting motions and shouting "Allahu Akbar"? No, that's not true: That video was posted to Instagram in July 2023, when Morocco was participating in the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations. That competition was held in Rabat, Morocco, one year before the Paris Olympics started. The…

Did a Turkish mechanic, Yusuf Dikec, discover a passion for sport shooting while going through a "particularly frustrating divorce mediation" and did he send his ex-wife a message from the Olympic podium that he wants his dog back? No, that's not true: This origin story is satire, in reality he has been an internationally competitive sport shooter since 2001. Now…

Did Mike Tyson announce he wants to box against "Olympic Dude," a derogatory reference to female boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria's team? No, that's not true: Tyson's representative told Lead Stories: "This is absolutely false." Lead Stories could find no news reports about Tyson making such a statement. Social media posts about the announcement offered no evidence that Tyson ever…

Did Olympian Simone Biles reveal that she's pregnant and announce she will retire when she finishes competing at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, as a Facebook post said? No, that's not true: At the time of writing, Lead Stories did not find any evidence on her social media nor on credible sports news sites that Biles made such an announcement.…

Is Algerian boxer Imane Khelif a man who transitioned to be a woman? No, that's not true: International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach publicly said that Khelif's case is the case of somebody "being born, raised, competed and having a passport as a woman", which is the Olympic standard for determination of gender. According to the athlete's own words, she…

Did Tesla CEO Elon Musk announce on social media that he would "stop all donations" towards the Olympic Games because it's "a woke event now"? No, that's not true: There are no posts on Musk's social media making or confirming such an announcement. The original article reporting that was written using artificial intelligence according to an online tool that detects…

Did Irish professional boxer Kellie Harrington say she would refuse to compete against "biological males" at the Paris 2024 Olympics? No, that's not true: The Olympic Federation of Ireland told Lead Stories on August 2, 2024, that Harrington "does not recollect a conversation about this," and that there is no record of Harrington making any such statement. Lead Stories also…

Does a swimmer on the 2024 Japanese Olympic team, Yokasi Maogo, have a name that sounds like the phrase "I almost drowned" in Spanish? No, that's not true: There is no swimmer by that name on Japan's Olympic swimming team. While "Yo casi me ahogo" does mean "I almost drowned" in Spanish, it's not a coincidence, as the name is…

Did Samsung withdraw from a $1 billion Olympics sponsorship after the opening ceremony for the Paris Summer Games in July 2024? No, that's not true: The website that said so is a self-described satire site that says it brings the "freshest fake news." As of August 2, 2024, there are no actual news reports that Samsung pulled their sponsorship of…

Do photos show Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni scowling in response to two female athletes kissing at the Olympics? No, that's not true: News agency video proves that the photos were taken at a volleyball match. Italy's Alice Bellandi celebrated her gold medal win in women's judo by kissing her partner and fellow judoka, Jasmine Martin. The claim appeared in…